Feed-control valve device for fluid-pressure brakes



PATBNTED MAY 15, 1906.

L. KRIMMELBEIN. FEED CONTROL VALVE DEVICE POR FLUID PRESSURE BRAKES. urnrcnlox Hum una, 10aa.

2 sums-sum 1.

HZ'JERVUIR 7U TMIN LINE No. 820,650. PATENTED MAY 15, 1906. L. KRIMMELBBIN'. FEED UONTROL VALVE DEVICE POR FLUID PRESSURE BRAKES.

APXLIUATION FILED NLRB, 1303.

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f'. Il? ya, @IMM ITED STAIES PATENT OFFICE.

LEOPOLD KRIMMELBEIN, (.)F BA LTI MORE. MRYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE VVESTINGHOUSE AIR BRAKE (,MPANY, 0F PITTSBURG, PENN- SYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 0F PENNSYLVANIA.

FEED-CONTROL VALVE DEVICE FOR FLUID-PRESSURE BRAKES.

Specication of Letters Patent.

'ratented May 15. 1906 Application filed March 8,1903. Serial No. 146,455.

To all whom t muy con/cern.:

Be. it known that I, LEOPOLD KRIMMEL- HEIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed-Control Valve Devices for Fluid Pressure Brakes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic fluidpressure brakes, and has for its object to rovide means for controlling the supply or eed of fluid under pressure to the tram-line while the brakes are applied.

With the present standard construction of automatic air-brake ap aratus when the brakes have been applied y the usual reduction of traimpipe pressure and the engineers brake-valve laced in lap position all communication om the main reservoir to the train-pipe is cut off and the train-pipe and auxiliary reservoirs cannot. be recharged until the brakes are released. l-Vhile the brakes are thus applied any further reduction in train-pipe. pressure due to leakage serves to increase the force of the application through the automatic action of the triple valve., so that the braking pressure may be greater than was intended, thereby unnecessarily depleting the auxiliary reservoir.

In order t-o maintain a safe working pressure in the auxiliary reservoirs at all times and to eliminate the effect of train-pipe leakage upon the force With which the brakes are applied in service applications, it is desirable tu be able to maintain train-line pressure or to slowly feed up the same during the time that the brakes remain applied, such increase in train-line pressurebeing at a predetermined rat-e less than that required to release the brakes.

Various forms of recharging devices l'or recharging the auxiliary reservoirs while the brakes remain np )lied have heretofore been proposed, some ci such devices including an additional communication lwl'weenthe truinpipe und auxiliary reservoir around tlu` triple vulve for recluirging without moving llutriple valve to release position und others comprising relaining-vah-'e deviens for los ing the exlunlst-port whihl the reservoirs ure recharged through the h-wlfgroowol the triple valve. Nearlv all of these devices are operated to etiect the recharging by a slow and gradual rise of train-pipe pressure as distinguished from a. sudden or rapid rise of trainpipe pressure which causes the release of the brakes.

It is evident that the size of port-opening through which air may be fed from the main reservoir tothe train-pipe for the purpose of recharging the same without releasing the triple valves will vary according to the length of train and capacity of the train-pipe, and in order to maintain a certain train-pipe pressure or secure a slow and gradual increase of the saine While the brakes are applied I rovidc a feed-control valve device operated y the movement of the engineers brakevalve and adapted to maintain the train-pi e and auxiliary-reservoir pressure while tie brakes remain applied or to 'automatically regulate the increase or feeding up of the train-line to predetermined rate regardless of the length or capacity of the traimpipe, which rat-e shall be less than that required to release the brakes.

Various forms of vulve devices, including a controlling-diaphragm exposed on one slde to train-pipe pressure and on the opposite side to a constantly-maintained pressure or a pressure that. is varied at a redetermined rate, may be devised for securing this result; but as a preferred form ol construction I have shown certain parts ofthe device so connect.- ed up with the present. standard feed-valve and equalizing-reseryoir of the enginccrs brake-valve that these standard devices Ilot only perform their usual functions, but also cooperate with and form a purtof my invention while operating to umintain or recharge the train-line while the brakes remain applied, thereby dislwnsing with unnecessary parts and seeurinu' the automatic o )eration of the device b v the movement ol' t le. cugineers lnukvvnl\'r.

ln the accompanying drawings. Figure l is u. view showing u standard forni of engineer@ Ineke-vulve und pipe connections with my imprm'enwnis connected therewith, parts thereof being shown in section; Fig. "l, u transverse .sm-tion of the feed-vulve which vocpcrules wilh In)l ilnprovennnls us herein applied; Fig. 3, a lo itudinal section of upper portion of the fee -valve device, showing the main slide-valve and its operatingJpiston; Fig. 4, a diagrammatic view showing a standard car equipment of an automatic airbrake system with a recharging-valve device applied thereto, and Fig. 5 a section showing the recharging-valve. t

In the present instance my invention is embodied in a lWestinghouse air-brake system inciidin the standard slide-valve feedvalve hereto ore mentioned, although it is susceptible of other embodiments, and in order to give a thorough understanding of my invention I will first refer briefly to the construction and operation of the feed-valve without my invention applied.

Referring to the drawings, the su plyvalve chamber F and the passage jp and port f are in direct communication with the main reservoir through the usual port of the engineers brake-valve when the latter is opened by placing the handle of the brakevalve in running position, while the passage i and port i are in communication with the train-pipe through the usual port and pa e in the brake-valve. The letter E designates a chamber se ated from the supply-valve chamber F y a supply-valve iston 54, and said chamber E is connected with the passage i, and thus with the trainpipe through a passage c c, a port a, (governed by a regulatin -valve 59,) and a chamber G at one side o? a dia hragm 57. The regulating-valve is norma held open by the diaphragm 57'- and revuliiting-spring 67, the tension'of which is a justed by a regulating-nut 65. In such ease the chamber E is in communication with the train-line-and contains train-line pressure.

When the handle of the engineers valve is placed in runni position, main-reservoir air is admitted to t e supply-valve chamber F, forces the supply-valve piston 54 forward, carryi the supply-valve 55 with it, uncovers t e port b, and gains entrance directly into the train-line through the passage t. The resultant increase in train-line. pressure likewise increases the pressure in the chamber G at one side of the dia hragm 57 until it overcomes the tension o the regulating' spring 67, previously adjusted to the desired pressure. The consequent movement of the dia liragm 57 allows the regulatin -valve 59 to seated b its spring, there 1y closing the port al an( cutting olf all communication between the chamber E and the trainlinc. The main-reservoir pressure in the chamber F equalizes with thc pressure'in the chamber E by leakage past the supply-valve pistou 54, and the supp y-vulvo pistou-spring 58, which had become compressed by tbc' cmnparativoly higher pressure in ibo chiunbor reuvts and foi-ces tbv supply-'waive 55 t-o its normal position, closes the port b, and cuts off the communication between the main reservoir and the train-line.

The reduction of train-line pressure below the normal redeterniined limit reduces the rassure in the chamber G, permits the reguating-spring 67 to react, forces the regulating-valve 59 from its seat, and allows the accumulated pressure in the chamber E to exhaust into the train-line.

The equilibrium between the pressures on opposite sides of the supply-valve piston 54 being thus destroyed, the higher main-reservoir pressure in the chamber F again forces the su lv-valve 55 forward and recharges the train-line through the port b and passage i, as before.

The automatic regulating-valve of my invention in its present embodiment comprises a case 10, provided with two chambers l1 and 12, separated by a piston or a diaphragm 13, to which are attached two heads 14and 15, secured together in any suitable manner, one of said heads bein provided with a stem 16, surrounded by a ht regulatin -spring 17, which is of a tension that will yie d under a pressure less than an amount suticient to move the slide-valve of a triple valve to the release position or suilicient to release automatic retainers or suiicient to release the brakes in any way, and said spring bears against the head 14. The other head 15 is provided with a stud or post 18, des' ed under certain conditions to contact with and thereby move to open position) a regulatingvalve 19, which is s ring-pressed to close a feed-port 20, estab 'ng communication between the chamber l2 and a chamber 21. The chamber 12 is in o n communication with the train-pipe 22, in this instance by means of a pi 23. The chamber 11 is in open communication with a drum 25, which in this instance is the equalizing-reservoir, and the chamber 21 is in open communication with the lower portion of the passage i of the feed-valve hereinbefore described by means of a ipe 26, which is so connected to the feed-va ve case, as illustrated in Fig. 2, as to close oil' entirely the direct communication between the port b and the upper portion of the passa e i on the one hand and the chamber G of the feed-valve on the other hand and establishing a communication between the chamber G and the chamber 2l of my requlatin -valve A c eck-va ve 27 is interposed in the pi e connection between the drum 25 und t e brake-valve, and seid check-vulve opens freely toward the brake-valve and is provided with u. leakage-groove 28, ull lor u. pill'- pose ircsvutly described.

l s iull now describe tlm conditions under which my invention bor-ninos operative and the-1i describe tlio u1u-,ration thereof.

IIO

As is well known, a service application of the brakes is effected by a reduction of pressure in the train-pipe, which causes the triplevalve piston to move forward, carrying the slide-valve with it, and as soon as the required reduction has been made the equalization of pressure in the triple-valve case will cause the triple valve to go on lapthat is, the piston will move backward independently of the slide-valve far enough to close the graduatingport, but it will not move the slide-valve. Under such conditions if it is desired to recharge the auxiliary reservoirs with the triple valve on lap, whore no l retainers are used it is necessary to provide a communication between the auxiliary reservoir and the train-pipe other than by way of the usual feed-groove in the tri le-valve case, and devices have been devise( for this purpose such as that disclosed in my prior patent, No. 715,088, granted December 2, 1902, and also illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings, in which the train-pipe 22 is shown connected by branch pipe o with triple valve C, auxiliary reservoir B, and brake-cylinder A, and the recharging-valve device is connected by pipe r to branch pipe o and by pipe r to' the auxiliary reservoir. This rechargingvalve as covered in said rior atent and also shown more particular y in `ig. 5 of the accompanying drawings comprises the valve t, having oppositely-located seats .sand s and a light spring t for normally holding the valve upon its seat s. The operation of the recharging-valve is well understood and will need no further descri tion.

Now to recharge t e auxiliary reservoirs the handle of the engineer's brake-valve is placed in running posit-ion, which admits air from the main reservoir to the train-pipe through the feed-valve before described; but it has heretofore been practically impossible to so regulate the restoration of pressure in the train-pipe and let the air into the latter slowly enough to recharge the auxiliary reservoirs without movingr the slide-valve to the release position and releasing the brakes in view of the fact that the said slide-valve is and should be susceptible to ver)Y :night variations in train-pipe pressure, ,and this becomes more especially apparent in very short trains, where the train-pipe capacity is so small that the restoration is ell'oeted quickly und has therefore u greater ellect on the rcleusing of the brakes whether automatic rotuiners are used or not.. lt under such conditions which huve heretofore prevailed that my invention becomes operative to uutmuutieally regulate the restoration ol' pressure in the train-pipe and recharge thv nuxiliurv reservoirs whlhthe brakes are in the applied position` und itsI olwrutiou tothis ond 1s ne follows:

When the brakes are in the applied position and the engineer places the handle ol the brake-valve in runningr position, main-reservoir air is admitted to the chamber F and forces the supply-vulve piston 54 forward, carrying the supply-vulve with it, thereby uncovering the port b and gaining,y entrance directly into the train-line through the passage i and port 'i'. At the saine time the said main-reservoir air that accumulates in the chamber E and which would otherwise have exhausted into the train-'line through the passage c c, past the valve :39, which is normally held open, and through the port a and passage fi, if my invention were not applied now with my invention applied must How into and throudh the pipe 26 into the chainber 2l, through the feed-port 20, into the chamber 12, and thence into the train-line.

As the air from the main reservoir feeds through the port b of the main valve into the train-pipe passage it also passes through the usual port-s and passages in the engineers brake-valve to the equalizing-rcservoir, where its iiow is restricted by the small leakagegroove 2S in the-check-valve The rate at which the pressure in the equalizing-reservoir 25, and consequently in chamber 1I beneath the regulating-diaphragm 13, will increase is therefore limit-ed to a predetermined amount by the restricted passage or leakage groove, which may be made of any desired size to secure a corresponding rate oi increase in train-line pressure.

lt will be evident that by moans of this construction the rate ot' rise in train-line pressure must be substantiall)v the same as that of the equalizing-reservoir, since as the pressure feeds through the 1'nain-sli le\'alve port directly into the train-pipe the tendency 1s to increase much more rapidly in the trainipe; but this higher iressureaetingin chamher 12 on the top of diapluagm 13 depresses the same against'the lower pressure of chamber l1 and the light spring 17 until the rogulating-valve 1) closes, or nearly so, thereby (tutt-ingrr ofi' or restricting,r the esc-.ape of nir under pressure from the chamber E back of piston 54, which pressure then accumulates on diaphragm 5T sufficiently to substantially close the diaphragni-vulve 5E). und then b v thc innuei'iiate equalization around the piston 54 close the muiu slide-vulve, thereby checking the feed to the train-line.

'While in this description of' operation the functions or movements ol the parts aro set forth one after another, yet in artuul prnetice those nim-'erneute ure all so hourly simultaneous that the main slide-vulva- 55 is maintained suhstuntiullv' stationary in such n position as to u1u-over port h just fur enough to admit uil' to the train-line ul. subst"nliull\r tho sumo rute ol iut-reuse as obtains through the restricted port to the oqmining-rosen IIO voir. The drum 25 is employed in connection with the chamber l1 or the pur ose of enlarging the space or capacity of sai chamber, so as to enable the port 20 to be made large enough to prevent its being stopped up in actual practice, and while I have shown this drum as also comprising the equalizingreservoir of the brake-valve I do not limit myself to such a construction, since it is obvious that any other drum or reservoir alreadyin use or a epecial supplemental reservoir may be used or this purpose, if desired, the same being connected up with the trainline through a restricted passage.

The use ofthe check-valve 27, with the restricted port or groove in the pipe leadin to the equalizi -reservoiri permits a free ow of air outwa from said reservoir, so that its usual functions in ma service appllications of the brakes are not lnterfered Wit Itwill be observed that when the engineers brake-valve is moved from lap to running position for the purpose of maintaining the train-line ressure or for recharging the same and auxi ary reservoirs Without releasing the brakes the rate of increase in the trainline ressure is restricted to that determined by the size of the small perforation or leakage-groove communicating with the equalizing or other reservoir connected to the regulatin -chamber 11, which rate of increase will e substantially constant, however, regardlessof the lengt orcapacit of the traini e and of the amount of lea a e therein. hen it is desired to release the rakes and the brake-valve is thrown to full-release position, the pressure is raised more ra idlyr in the equalizing-reservoir and forwar end of the train-line, so that when the brake-valve is restored to running posit-ion and the trainline pressure equalizes itself the higxher pressure of the equalizing-reservoir olds the regulating-valve 19 Wide open, so that the feed-valve operates to charge up the trainline at its normal rate. In any case of rechargin with the brake-valve in running position w en the normal train-pipe pressure is reached the diaphragm-valve 59 closes and the feed-valve cuts off further communication from the main reservoir, as usual, until the train-line pressure again diminishes below normal.

It will now be seen that I have provided a feed-control valve device b v means of which any desired train-pipe pressure may be maintained while the irakes are applied and by which the auxiliar f reservoirs may be slowly recharged to any t esired amount without releasing the brakes and irrespective of ,the length or capacity of the train-pipo.

l believe that I am the lirst to irovide a feed-control-valvo device which wil so nutomatically govern the restoration of pressure in the train-pipe when the brakes aro iu tho applied position as to not effect the releasing o the brakes, and hence desire to claim the same broadly. [t is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the hereinshown connection with the slide-valve feedvalve hereinbefore described, but ma be embodied and arra ed in the slide-va ve feedvalve case or ot erwise embodied or arranged, althou h I believe the resent shown form to be pre erable in that it is adaptable to the system of air-brakes now in use Without materially changing such system.

Various changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts herein shown and descibed without departing from the scope of the invention as deiinedin the ap nded claims.

aving thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a {luid-pressure brake, the combinaf tion with a valve for controlling the supply of fluid under pressure from the main reservoir to the train-pipe and a piston for operating said valve, of a regulating-valve operated by the opposing pressures of the train-pipe on one side and a varying fluid-pressure on the other side for controlling the' pressure on one side of said piston.

2. In a fluid-pressure brake, the combination with a valvefor controlling the supply of fluid under pressure from the main reservoir to the tra-inipe and a piston for operating said valve, o a regulating-valve operated by the opposinig pressures of the trainipe and a variable uid-pressure for control the release of fluid-pressure from one side o said piston.

3. In a fluid-pressure brake, the combination with a valve for controlling the supply of fluid under pressure from the main reservoir to the train-pipe and a piston for operatin said valve, of a regulating-valve for control ling the pressure on one side of said piston, a movable abutment exposed on one side to train-pipe pressure for operating said regulating-valve, and means for varying the pressure on the other side of said abutment at a predetermined rate.

4. In a fluid-pressure brake, the combination with a. valve for controlling communication from the main reservoir to the train-pipe and a pistou for operating said valve, of a regulatmg-\'alve for controlling the pressure on om` side of said piston, a movable abutment for operating `said regulating-valve, and u rluuuber having n. restricted inlet-passage, said abutment being exposed on one side to train-pipe pressure and on the opposite side to the pressure of said chamber.

5. ln u fluid-pressure lnnke, tbc combination with nr train-pipo, onginoor's brake-valve und cipmlizing-reservoir, of n vulve for controlling rolmuuuivnlion from llicmaiurescr- IDO voir to the train-pipo, a chcck-vx'ilve having a I restricted port or groirvc located in the pussagc loading to thc cqualiziiig-reservoir, and means subjected to the opposing pressures of the train-pipe and. the .equallzing-reservoir for governing the operation of said vulve.

tif In a {luid-pressure brake, the combinaf tion with a main reservoir, engineers brakevalve and train-pipe, of valve for controlling the supply of ui.. to the tram-pipe, a piston for operating said valve, a re ulatmgvalve governed by the pressures oft 1e train pipe and a chamber for controlling the pressure on said piston, and means operated by the movement of the engineers brake-valve for varying the pressure 1n said chamber at a predetermined rate.

7. In a {luid-pressure brake, the combination with a main reservoir, engineers brakevalve and tra-ini e, of a valve for controlling the supply oipillhid to the train-pipe, apiston for operating said valve, aregulatingvalve for controlling the pressure on said piston, a movable abutment subject to the oposing pressures ot' the train-pipe and a chainier for operating said regulating-valve, and means o erated by the movement of the cngineers linke-valve for increasing the pressure in said chamber at a predetermined rate.

S. In a {luid-pressure brake, the combination with a main valve for controlling the supply to the train-pipe and a regulating-valve governed by the train-pipe pressure for controlling the o eration oi': the main valve, and another regu ating device subject to opposing fluid-pressures for also governing said main valve.

9. In a fluid-pressure brake, the combinai tion With a main valve for controlling the i supply to the train-pipe and a piston for operating said valve, of a regulating-valve normally governed by the train-pipe pressure for controlling the pressure on said piston, and another regulating-valve governed by the train-pipe pressure on one side and a va.- riable pressure upon the other for also controlling the ressure on said iston.

10. In a. fiiiid-pressurc bra e, the combina tion with a mam valve for controllingl the suppljv-v to the train-pipe and a piston for operating said valve, oi a regulating-valve normally lgoverned by 'the` train-pipe pressure for controlling the pressure on said piston, another regulating-valve having an abutment subject to thc opposing pressures oi" the train-pijnl and a chamber for also controllingr the pressure on said piston, and means for increasing the pressure in said chamber at a prodctcrmim'd rale.

ll. ln a lluid-[n'cssurc brake, thc combination with a main rcscr\.'oir, cnginccrs brakevalvc, und train-pipe, ol` a. valve for controlling the supply to the train-pipe. a. regulating device I: lgoverned h v the train-pipe pressure for wntrolling said valve, another regulating device subject to the opposing Illini-pressures ol" the train-pipe aud a chamber for also con t trolling said valve, and means operated by 5 thc movement of the enguiecr's brake-valve for varying the pressure in said chamber.

12. ln a fluid-pressure brake, the combination with arnain reservoir, en ineers brakevalve and train-pipe, of a .fee -valve device comprising a main valve and piston, a regulating-valve for normali Y governing the pressure on said plist-on, and another re latingvalve control `ng communication om the piston through the first regulating-valve to the train-pi e.

13. In a uid-pressure brake, the combination with a main reservoir, envineers brakeval'fe and train-pipe, of a feed-valve device comprising a main valve and piston, a regulating-valve for releasing fluid from said piston to the trainipe, and another regulatingvalve operated y the opposing pressures of the train-pipe and a chamber for controlling conmnmication through the first regula-tingvalve.

i4. In a railway fluid-pressure brake system, the combination of a train-line; a brakevalve; a. feed-valve designated to maintain the air in the train-line at a predetermined limit; and a regulating-valve provided with a chamber in communication with the trainline, another chamber in communication with the regulating-chamber' of the feed-valveand also having a port communication with said first-named chamber; a valve controlling said port; and a device arranged to hold said valve open and also arranged to yield at a predetermined pressure whereby to permit said valve to close, for the purpose set forth.

15. In a railway fluid-pressure brake s rstem, the combination of a train-line; a bra evalve; a feed-valve designated to maintain the air in the train-line at a. predetermined limit; and a regulating-valve provided with a chamber in communication with the trainlinc, another chamber in communication with the regulating-chamber of the feed-valve and also having a port communication with said tiret-named chamber; ayieldingr device forming one side of said first-name( chamber and arranged to yield at a predetermined pressure; a valve controlling said port and normally held open by said yielding device; and a drum hack of sind .wielding device whereby to increase the space, us set forth.

lli. ln a rniln'irx [luid-pressure brake system, thc combmition ol" a tra|1-linc;a.hr|l vcvulvc; a fcntl-vulve designed to maintain the air in the train-liml al: a ptwlclcrmincd limit; and a l'cgnlating-valve provided with achemhcr in communiculion with thc train-lino, another chamber in comnumicnton with the IUD regulating-chamber ofthe feed-vaiye and 1 the brake-valve; and aleu-king cheek-valve lo also havlng a port commumeatlon with sald in said connection for the purpose described.

first-named chamber; a yiel device orm- In testimony wiiereof I afix my signature ing one side o'sa-id rst-name chqmber and in the presence of-two witnesses. arranged to yield' at a predetenmned pres- LEOPOLD KRIM-MELBEIN sure; a valve controlling said ort and normally held open b said iel device; adrum back of sai yielding device; as set forth; a. connection between said drum and Witnesses G. FERDINANDVQGT, FREDERICK S. S'rl'r'r. 

